Army parades fake colonel

The Nigerian Army on Friday paraded one Mr. Prince (surname withheld) for allegedly impersonating as a colonel and illegal possession of firearms.

The Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Col. Sani Usman, who paraded the suspect to journalists on Friday, said that the suspect was arrested with a Staff Sergeant of the Army one Philip, by troops of the 176 Special Forces Guard Battalion, along Wazobia Motor Park, Gwagwalada, Abuja on February 17, 2016.

Usman who paraded the suspect alongside the Col. Kennedy Okoro of the Special Investigation Bureau, said that Prince had allegedly evaded arrest by claiming to be a colonel at a military checkpoint at Abaji, before he was apprehended.

The Acting Army Spokesman said that the soldiers found an AK 47 rifle, with registration number 3290, two magazines loaded with 42 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition and two empty magazines, when a search was conducted on the Toyota Tacoma van in which the suspect was traveling.

He aded that the soldiers also found a Luger pistol, 21 X 9mm parabellium ammunition and One million on the suspect.

According to him, other recovered items included six GSM handsets, one Samsung Galaxy tablet, 12 check booklets, six ATM cards, a driver’s license, an Indepedent National Electoral Commission voter’s card belonging to the suspect, and a temporary driver’s license belonging to Mr. Rasaq Olarenwaju,

Usman said that three soldiers who provided illegal escort to the suspect were in custody and would be made to face a military court martial after investigation.

He said that the three soldiers would also be paraded at the appropriate time adding that the suspect would be handed over to the police.

Usman called on members of the public to insist on the true identity of people claiming to be military personnel as some of such people could be impersonating.

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